Verizon vs Cricket: Who Should You Go With?

Is your monthly phone bill a little too high for your liking? Are you not getting the signal strength you desire when you’re out of your home’s wifi range? Or do you not get any coverage at all if you venture too far away from anywhere but your hometown? If this sounds like some things you’ve been dealing with then you’ve come to the right place as today we’re here to compare and contrast two cell phone carriers that might have a shot at becoming your new wireless provider. 

Up on the docket today is Verizon vs Cricket Wireless. Verizon of course being one of the “big three” in wireless alongside AT&T and T-Mobile. You’ll probably find yourselves more familiar with them, but if you’ve been in the cell phone game for a while you’ll definitely know the name Cricket Wireless. And at first you may ask, “Wait, Cricket is still a thing?” And we’re happy to answer that yes, yes they are! They just are a little different than what you might remember them from 10 years ago…

So let’s get started comparing the two so you can get the cell phone plan you deserve!

• Quick Overview: Verizon and Cricket Wireless
• What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers
• How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features
• The Verdict

Before we go over what the coverage and phone plans look like from each provider we should first talk about the two companies as a whole, so you can get an overall idea of what to expect from each as you begin to make your decision. 

-> Verizon

When you think of Verizon, you think about their longevity, it seems like they’ve been around for forever, but in reality they only introduced themselves in the year 2000! Which is wild to think about and impressive considering they are the leader in coverage. In fact they have “the most nation-wide coverage” out of every wireless carrier in the country which is no small feat. Covering over 70% of the country, Verizon has had it’s footprints all over the map giving reliable coverage to even the most rural of areas. 

One of Verizon’s main big selling points is their reliability. You’ll be able to use your phone in the comfort of your own home and city, but travel with that same signal as well. Another big draw fans have to Verizon is the sheer number of perks you can get with one of their bundled plans. They have streaming services, cloud storage add-ons, music deals, and more all available when you sign up for a postpaid plan. Bundling and saving money on your next TV show obsession? An intriguing prospect!

-> Cricket Wireless

Now if you’ve been around for a minute, you’ll remember driving down the road and seeing a number of Cricket Wireless stores scattered throughout the town. You might even remember the commercials for Cricket as being a “budget-friendly” service compared to its other major competitors. But in 2013, Cricket Wireless was acquired by AT&T which may have led you to believe it was shut down for good. 

That’s not the case! 

Cricket Wireless is still alive and well and they are now classified as a MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) which is when a provider doesn’t own their own cell towers and instead piggybacks signal off of one that does- in this case it’s AT&T, which you’ll know is a direct competitor of Verizon, making this for a fun match-up.

Cricket Wireless offers a number of prepaid plans perfect for those looking for no contracts and no hard commitments. Prepaid plans are also known as “pay as you go” plans which means that instead of paying for your service on the same date every month, you will pay for your service in advance before use. These types of plans are great for a phone user who isn’t always on their phone. And with prepaid there comes a lot more flexibility, as you can choose to cancel at any time in case you need a change or something isn’t working out. There’s a lot of benefits to a prepaid phone plan, and Cricket Wireless has got some of the best out there.

What the Coverage Looks Like from Both Providers

Now that we have a bit of insight into each carrier, let’s jump into looking at the coverage from each provider so you can see which fits your needs best.

-> Verizon

We already mentioned that Verizon is the leader in 4G LTE coverage, which is great for those without a 5G capable phone or those who do have 5G and need to fall back on a signal strength that is consistent. Now Verizon does lose some points when it comes to their 5G coverage, T-Mobile is the clear winner there, and even AT&T has more widespread 5G availability, but what Verizon does have going for it is their 5G strength. When you’re in a 5G covered area via Verizon you can look forward to their high speeds and processing power as they’ve gotten the highest marks in “5G Games Experience, 5G Voice App Experience, and 5G Video Experience.”

When you’re looking into a wireless carrier, one thing you’ll find on any reliable company’s website is their “Coverage Map” which displays an approximation of their coverage throughout the country and other select regions if covered. You can zoom in and out of the map and type in your own address so you can see how well your area is covered, here’s a look at Verizon’s coverage map:

Although not completely captured in the screengrab, Verizon offers coverage in the majority of the United States along with parts of Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands. To see what coverage looks like in your city, click here to view the full Verizon Coverage Map.

-> Cricket Wireless

We know that Cricket Wireless is under the AT&T umbrella. And AT&T is known for being the “middle of the pack” when it comes to its two major competitors: Verizon and T-Mobile. Their 4G LTE sits comfortably between the two, as does their 5G. What AT&T is known for is their signal strength in more urban areas. If you live close to a city, then AT&T’s powerful coverage will be a lot more noticeable than your average carriers. Here’s a look at Cricket Wireless’s coverage map which is similar to AT&T’s Coverage Map:

What you should note however is since Cricket Wireless is a MVNO they are more likely subject to data depolarization and throttling. 

• Data deprioritization is “the temporary slowing of data speeds for certain customers in order to give priority to other customers,” which happens when there is network congestion- (a lot of people using their phones all throughout the country), and/or when you’re in a high traffic area- (like a concert or sporting event where everyone's on their phones in one concentrated place). Or when Verizon is experiencing network issues, they will prioritize their direct customers over those through a MVNO like Cricket Wireless.
• Data throttling is “the dramatic slowing of your data speeds to the point that it becomes almost unusable,” and this happens when a user would go over their data allotment for the month. Normally if a plan comes with a set amount of data instead of getting charged for overuse or getting completely cut off, your data will just be slowed until the start of your next billing cycle. And yes this still happens with “unlimited” data, that data cap number will either be listed in the plan or in small print on the carrier’s website.

These are good things to keep in mind when comparing the two providers.

With a prepaid phone plan you can pay for exactly what you need and never anything more.

How the Plans Compare: From Price to Features

Now we get to move onto the fun stuff: phone plans! It’s time to compare and contrast Verizon and Cricket Wireless’s prices, data options, and special features so you can decide which plan is the most enticing to you. First up we have Verizon’s postpaid plans which might at a first glance look a bit different than your average phone plan and that’s because they are all about bundling and saving. We’re first going to look at the base plan(s) and then go over their perks:

One thing that is good to note is the prices we listed above aren’t the finalized prices you’ll see on your monthly phone bill, those are the prices excluding any taxes and fees and are if you sign up for AutoPay- so keep that in mind as you write things down.

Moving onto Verizon’s perks, they’ve got a load of fun stuff included that you can get if you sign up for specific bundles:

• The Disney Bundle which gets you Disney+ Premium with no ads, Hulu with ads, and ESPN with ads. Original price is $18.99/mo, only 10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• Netflix & Max which gives you Netflix Standard with ads and Max with ads plan. Original price is $16.98/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• Apple One which has Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud+ all in a bundle. Perfect for Apple phone users. Original price for individuals is $19.95/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings and original family plans normally pay $25.95/mo, now only $20/mo (Terms Apply).
• The Walmart+ Membership which has its own benefits you can read about on the plans tab. Original price is $12.95/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• Apple Music Family which allows six members to enjoy Apple Music. Original price is $16.99/mo and Verizon customers pay $10/mo. (Terms Apply).
• A 100GB Mobile Hotspot originally priced at $45/mo now only $35/mo. (Terms Apply).
• Smartwatch Data & Safety which is normally $20/mo is now only $10/mo. (Terms Apply).
• +play Monthly Credit, a Verizon platform that lets you manage all of your digital subscriptions from one place. You can save $5/mo off your $15/mo credit.(Terms Apply).
• 3 TravelPass Days. TravelPass lets you call, text, and use data in 210+ countries around the world. These three days, 24 hour sessions, are included each month. Originally it’s $30/mo, only $10/mo. with Verizon savings (Terms Apply).
• 2TB Cloud Storage that’s originally $14.99/mo and with the addon it’s $10/mo. (Terms Apply).

Honestly the biggest draw for us is if you are already paying for one or two of these services you’ll be able to save some money when you sign up for one of their plans. Plus having access to their widespread network is pretty sweet.

Cricket Wireless has four unlimited plans and three “fixed” or “limited” data plans. Since we are going over unlimited only we are only going to discuss what their unlimited options are but to see their fixed plans click here.

Normally with a MVNO you won’t find too many additional perks, but with Cricket Wireless you can get a few cool things even on their “lowest tier” plan. Cloud storage is always a plus, international benefits are definitely a plus, and on their highest paying plan you can get a HBO Max subscription with ads- pretty sweet!

Other than that they’ve kept things pretty simple which is good for those not interested in the big, bright, and flashy Verizon phone plan.

The Verdict

Finally we’ve come to the verdict! Here’s where we will choose who we think comes out on top in the Verizon vs Cricket Wireless match up. Overall there are some advantages and disadvantages to both. If you are already paying for two or more of the add-on perks Verizon is offering with one of their bundle plans then we think Verizon is a safe bet to go with. That way you end up saving a few bucks off your streaming service bill and get access to the leader in LTE coverage. 

But if you don’t and have no interest in any of those perks, plus have no issues with occasional data deprioritization (this is for our people who are constantly using data and never connected to wifi, if you are connected to wifi more times than not then you might not experience this as much), then Cricket Wireless is a pretty good MVNO to go with, maybe the best as you get access to international benefits, cloud storage, and monthly savings for new customers. Whatever you think works best for your situation is what we recommend.

And if you want to compare and contrast Verizon and Cricket Wireless to over 1,200 other phone plans so you know you’re getting the service that’s right for you, then make sure to check out the REALLY compare page which allows you to look at pricing, coverage, what phone plans are available, current deals and steals, and how you can make the most of your potential phone bill.